The Rule of Tyrants
by wa7chface
Summary: Violence reigns in Mantle. The Highlands War has been one of the most brutal conflicts in recent memory, and each side is guilty of atrocities not seen since the Faunus Rights Revolution. Ethnic cleansing, massacres, violent oppression are commonplace. Through it all, common people are affected the most, but who will defend them?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This is a RWBY fanfic, the original material is owned by RoosterTeeth. This is an adaptation/combination of two AUs and several original ideas. The two AUs being combined are that of The Black Fist and Red Hand, owned by CC-2224 Commander Cody and Mojo1586. I am using all material with the creator's permission or under Fair Use.**

 **18 Months Before RWBY Volume 1: Elizabeth Briar's POV: Mantle Highlands**

The clamor of bullhead's engines whirring filled the cargo bay incessantly, to a normal human probably sounding nothing more than a low, persistent hum. To a the enhanced senses of a Trapper the sound was almost deafening, seeming to echo within the confines of my skull. It was all I could do not to hold my hands over my ears in a desperate attempt to block out the noise.

'I should've long adjusted to this by now, maybe something's...No! Remember your training...keep your center, keep your center...'

Fortunately, the designers of our masks had courteous enough to add noise dampeners to their design, but of course the jackass of a quartermaster that issued them conveniently forgot to mention how to activate them. I would have to remember to pay him back when we returned to base, slowly and personally if I had the chance.

At least I was able to find some comfort in the fact I wasn't alone in my pain. My fellow Trappers appearing to be suffering along with me, some of our less disciplined fighters giving into the urge and slapping padded gloves to their ears with short, barely audible groans. Others handled their discomfort with some modicum of professionalism, though I allowed myself a smirk when I noticed how tense Virgil was underneath his thin veneer of calm focus, the blind man must've been going through hell compared to even the rest of us. Under other circumstances with any other individual I might've found it amusing, but my older counterpart could still butcher everyone on this ship if he felt like it and the subtle Aura he pervaded made that fact perfectly clear to those sitting around him, setting cold needles of anxiety to my already frayed nerves.

Looking more for something, anything, to distract myself with, I settled on fiddling with my headgear's controls in a vain attempt to figure out how the dampeners worked. I'd been at it a couple minutes, sifting my way through the myriad of settings when I felt the unmistakable tug at my lower gut that signaled the Bullhead's descent. Almost as if on cue, Virgil rose from his seat magnanimously, the scabbards hanging at his back rustling against his armor softly in a move I knew was calculated to grab our attention, they would never have made a sound otherwise. Everyone stopped whatever it was they were doing, whispered conversations and anxious ticks for the most part, to look at the swordsman's blank faced visage, namely the Red hand print adorning it.

"The moment that door opens, Alpha team will move to destroy the White Fang bunker complexes located on the southern outskirts of the city. Bravo, your goal will be to disable the anti-air batteries placed within the old City Hall and Town Square respectively. Charlie, run interference for Bravo. We have approximately thirty minutes until the Fist arrives with the main attack force, and the Commander has made it clear that our objectives are to be complete before they arrive. Should any of you fail in your tasks, I shall discipline you personally." His implication hung in the air like a shroud, sending more than a few shivers through the assembled force. I was proud to say that I kept myself outwardly composed, if only just...

'Keep your center, keep your center, focus on the mission at hand...nothing else.'

Moments later, a blinding light filled the cabin as the hatch slid open with a dull rattle, our Bullhead free to unleash its deadly cargo. My senses and muscles glorying at the sudden open air and freedom move around, if still smarting at the sudden constant sharp chill that seemed constant throughout the region.

'No time to idle, not when there's work to be done...'

Bravo was made up of that brute Alexander Capaneus, Joel Ambrose, and me. We raced towards the City Hall the moment our boots hit solid ground, the gaudy white marble castle likely visible for miles all around. From what I'd skimmed of the reports, the building was meant as one part settlement center, one part fortress designed to repel Grimm incursion, meant to inspire confidence to the townspeople and raise positive feeling. It really was extravagant, if little else, and now would serve as a fitting site for my continued revenge.

A pity really, I would've loved the chance to take the time to admire it properly, perhaps I still could, once we'd properly exterminated the vermin huddled within its walls of course.

Necessity and caution had forced us to slow our pace as we drew closer to our objective, the four heavy cannons had been firing Dust tipped death into the sky for almost a full minute, meaning the enemy was well-stocked if still terrible shots. They were dug in and well defended, right away I spotted two machine gun emplacements flanking the larger weapons, having been elevated off of the ground by concrete watchtowers.

It would've likely proven a steadfast defense against any standard invading force, but we were Trappers, not standard mooks.

I held my hand up in a tight fist behind me, causing the other two Trappers to halt as we ghosted the corner of an outlying storage depot a few dozen meters away from the target, and used the back of my hand warn of the threat, summoning Alexander to the front, only then did I risk speaking. "We've got two heavy machine guns on either side of the AA battery. I need you to draw their fire, hold their attention long enough so that Joel and I can flank through the admin buildings. Understood?"

For a brief moment I thought he might actually refuse to follow my orders, as a self-proclaimed noble he'd been bitter that Vergil had placed me command of the assault, chafing at the bit under his breath at every opportunity he thought I wasn't paying attention, which apparently according to him was quite often judging by the amount I'd heard on just the flight over. Fortunately, Joel put a tight grip on his shoulder before he could voice a retort, the Mistralan Trapper tensing sharply as if shocked before stiffly nodding, probably realizing exactly what would happen if he pushed the issue any further.

"Crystal, just don't take too long. I'd hate for you to miss out on the fun."

With that, and barely a rustle to betray his presence, Capaneus took up position in front of me and checked the cylinder of his grenade launcher. After taking a quick second to ensure his weapon was in working order, he stepped out from the corner and proceeded to raise all hell in the way only a Trapper and liberal use of explosives could provide.

His weapon braced against the top of the dull grey circular shield he bore as he advanced, several Dust laden grenades already in the air with a whoosh and landing amidst the AA batteries before the White Fang's attention had shifted and they'd started to return fire. Both of the .50 cals had opened up in earnest as explosions rocked the ground and sent dirt and bodies flying in their wake, white hot rounds impacting and ricocheting off both his shield and his Aura but could've been spitwads for all it seemed to do against the Trapper and his impressive defense.

"That all you got, bastards!?" He cried out boisterously in challenge, plumes of dirt and permafrost shooting upward like geysers as deflected rounds drove scorching gouges in the ground amidst his feet, one even pinging off against a part of the corner where we still sat watching in bemused silence, sending a spattering of Dust across the lens of my mask.

Still, even for an Aura user standing amidst fields of oncoming fire was hardly a comfortable position to retain for long, the shield bearer sprinted his way across the chaos for cover behind one of the stone statues in the square, laughing all the while as he reloaded his weapon as casually as one might check the time as shattered snow and dirt fell around him.

I spared a glance at Joel and motioned for him to sprint across the open area to try and flank their positions. In the meantime I took the opportunity to move through one of the apartment buildings, now in ruins from one of the Fist's earlier artillery bombardments, the rubble proving little obstacle as I leapt and rolled, keeping the SMG I held tight to my chest as I gripped the side of the sixtyfive round drum with my left hand.

As I moved further through the demolished structure, I picked up the heavy thud of boots hitting against displaced masonry to my right, about thirty yards ahead from the sound of it. I pressed myself against what was left of a wall and tried to discern what I could of the people within.

From what I could tell, there were four of them, three men and a woman by their voices, at least one of them was armored judging from the clatter he made. With only a single quick breath and not a shred of hesitation I stepped out into the doorway, standing just outside the threshold before firing a quick three round burst into one of the figures wearing the standard Fang battle armor. His body seeming to dance a twisted little step with the impact of the Dust infused rounds piercing his chestpiece like tissue paper, fragmenting further while inside the target and rendering him quite dead from the shock alone.

As he toppled back I did a quick sweep of the other two occupants of the room, neither were armed, though I was forced to gun down one who tried to take a pistol from the corpse's hand.

With her companions dead and a quick pat down reassuring me she had no hidden surprises for when I turned my back, the woman just cowered in the corner and shaking in abject terror with her hands clutched over her lamblike ears, I left her to her bleating without a second thought.

Others would come to investigate the gunfire soon, better to save ammunition for the real threats. My prediction proved all too true when a group of Fang soldiers armed with rifles and swords came storming down the hall, likely in response to all the shooting.

'Sure took them long enough…'

Holding the trigger, I hosed down the hallway with a practiced abandon. Six of the faunus cut down before they could even bring their weapons to bear, the remaining five however had the common sense to swiftly return fire as they advanced. With a snarl, I dove into a side room for cover, noticing that at least two of them were Aura trained by grace that they didn't fall down screaming like the others when hit. I dumped the ammo drum of my SMG and loaded a 35 round box mag in its place.

I didn't have many options at the moment, so I retrieved an incendiary Thorn from one of my bracers and stabbed it through the wall half a foot away from the door. Now all I could do was wait, the footfalls of the Fang troopers growing closer every moment. When they were near the Thorn I braced myself and detonated the explosive Dust inside, thoroughly thankful for the sound dampening and grinning behind my mask at the muffled cries of alarm and pain.

My actions from then on were automatic, practiced instinct honed by training into a ruthless machine. I almost pitied them.

Moving out from the door, I delivered a throat punch to the leading enemy with a wet crunch, causing him to clutch at his now fractured windpipe. Pinning him against me, I fired into the remaining soldiers with my machine gun, cutting down three of his comrades before finishing off my hostage with a savage twist of his head.

Satisfied there was no one left, standing at any rate, I took a moment to retrieve a second ammo drum from the pack slung at my waist before moving forward further into the ruins.

In the aftermath of the skirmish, no other soldiers saw fit to jump out of the woodwork to attack me, though I did see one faunus who looked to be around my age cowering inside one of the apartments with his head in his hands. Within five minutes, I had reached the roof access overlooking the AA positions and the pitched battle taking place below.

'Huh, so Capaneus is still kicking after all.' I thought with only a smidge of disappointment, even if I wasn't really surprised. 'I suppose it would be too much to ask for him to mess this up.'

It took me but a moment to assess the battle, and in the end I backtracked to the bodies downstairs to retrieve a fallen assault rifle before taking up position on a rooftop flanking the defensive positions.

'When taking your target by surprise, one can never have too much firepower…'

Setting the weapon to semi automatic I began picking off the defenders with the and precision drilled into me by rigorous training and hours of live practice. I would never claim to be a skilled sniper, but the dot sight and relatively close range helped my aim considerably, meaning I had dispatched about a third of the defenders in short order.

Unfortunately, though not unexpectedly, my success had also attracted the attention of quite a few eyes. Bullets showered my location and I was forced to take cover or lose my head. It was only a matter of time before another squad of vermin was sent to deal with me, and pressed on both sides as I was.

Keeping my SMG within arms reach I tried to reach Joel on our squad comms. "Are you still alive?" I heard the distinct crunch of bones snapping through the other end, sort of like dry twigs. It only took a second, and a wash of static and frantic gunfire, before I finally got a response.

"At the moment, making friends out there?"

"Ha ha really funny, I've attracted a bit of attention. Think you can distract them?"

"Give me a minute, I've got an idea." His transmission cut out.

"Hey what are you… dammit Ambrose! At least give me an idea of what to look for." I growled, throwing a Thorn into the doorway that provided access to my rooftop. Dust tipped rounds still snapped overhead, throwing up plumes of concrete and forcing me to lie prone at my position. From the sounds of things, Capaneus was still fighting below, the report of his grenade launcher echoing through the city square alongside his taunts.

As I picked myself up into a crouching position to return fire the block was suddenly illuminated by orange fire, several anti aircraft shells exploding next to the guns. A football sized chunk of concrete soaring from the blast to strike me in the chest, forcing the breath from my lungs and knocking me to the ground coughing and spluttering behind my mask, not a pleasant experience. Still, if my Aura hadn't been active my ribs likely would've been pulverized by the impact, the thought didn't make this easier.

"Ah...s-son of a…!?" I wheezed, rolling onto my side and breathing heavily through the mask's filter, resisting the urge to tear the damned thing off just in case there was latent debris in the air.

"They're distracted." Ambrose told me simply over the comm.

Swearing under my breath, I took the risk and peeked over the edge of my rooftop to see Capaneus and Joel carving their way through the vermin below. Joel's bladed staff, Storm Circut, caught the light of the fires raging around as it twisted and stabbed through the Faunus ranks, the polished metal seeming to come alive when in use. Even as I watched the Trapper took the legs out from underneath one, sending him writhing to the ground as he tore the throat from his fellow a moment later on the backswing. Capaneus moved as well, scattering whole squads as he charged in shield first, using the bulwark to bat aside weapons and bodies with impunity.

Within the next few minutes Capaneus, Ambrose, and I had cleared out the fortifications, their crews laying dead or close to it at our feet. I had Joel radio in our success while I applied the Dust-Thermite mixture to the inside of each cannon's barrel, loading mechanisms, and firing pins.

The Red Hand's tactical AI, Locke, came over the comm. "Trapper Briar, I am detecting a company sized force of White Fang converging on your fireteam's position. You have approximately four minutes before they arrive. I recommend immediate evacuation to the nearest uncontested point."

I cursed into the speaker, activating the Dust/Thermite concoction. "We need to clear out, now! Party on the way!" I called to my subordinates as the cannon barrels began to smoke. We'd almost made it to the edges of the square before the first of the Fang reinforcements came swarming like ants into the square, shouting battle cries and waving their weapons about looking for targets.

After a few tense breaths, I signaled for Capaneus and Ambrose to stop and take stock of our situation. "You ass, warn me next time you plan on blowing up half the square!" I growled, smacking my chest piece with my palm, the dented ceramic digging incessantly into my ribs with every slight motion, setting me on edge, "You almost killed me."

"Oh, such a tragedy that would be." Capaneus had decided to play peanut gallery. "Whatever would we do without our glorious leader?"

I was about to deliver a kick to the side of the Minstali noble's head when Joel tackled me to the ground. A Molotov cocktail streaked over where I was standing a moment before and impacted the brick before exploding into a fireball of sudden heat and roaring air. Four White Fang soldiers fell into us, two had axes drawn and charged Capaneus screaming like wild animals, the others charged Joel and I with an electrified quarterstaff and brass knuckles.

Joel threw a knife at the staff wielding faunus and immediately drew his own weapon to engage him. For my part I threw a Thorn at the last faunus and unloaded my submachine gun into his body armor. He didn't even break stride as his Aura absorbed the rounds without visible issue. By the time my weapon clicked empty he had closed the distance between us and tried to make forward jab at my mask. I moved out of the way of the strike and delivered a roundhouse kick to his side only for the terrorist to catch my leg and pull me to the ground.

I felt his steel toed boot impact my right side before the Faunus planted his knee on my chest. He rained down punches, his brass knuckles smoldering with red Dust. I placed my forearms in front of my face to block a few strikes before lashing out at the Fang Hunter's neck with an ice Thorn. There was an emerald flash as his Aura took the hit and the resulting surge of ice.

A few yards Fang Hunter went flying into one of the office buildings that dotted the street courtesy of a full body blow from the face of Alexander's shield, his bones crunched on impact and his axe falling from limp fingers to the pavement.

My opponent, distracted by the death of his comrade, provided me the perfect opportunity to grab his arm and reverse our positions. Drawing the knife at my hip I tried to drive the blade through the eye slit of his mask, only for the faunus to deflect my strike off to the side before attempting to return the favor with his brass knuckles. I leveled my bracer at the vermin and sent and electric dart into his exposed neck. His Aura absorbed the majority of the electric shock before depleting. The remaining electricity wasn't lethal, the follow up bullet from my sidearm was.

As I regained my feet I saw that Capaneus had disposed of his remaining opposition while Joel was in the process of impaling his enemy on Storm Circuit with a snarl, kicking the weapon free and leaving the Faunus to expire in the dirt. All it took was a glance at my wrist mounted Scroll to know that we couldn't afford another engagement like that. None of us had more than twenty percent of our Auras left and even bodies like ours couldn't keep fighting on fumes and expect to keep the advantage.

After the Hunters were suitably dead and my team once again ready to move, I informed Locke that we were in our way to the Red Hand staging area. It took us roughly an hour to reach the Hand's forward outpost and in that time the Black Fist had already started their infantry assault on the city proper.

'About time they showed up.' I thought bitterly as the far off sounds of gunfire and detonations bled of in the distance as the Fist cleaned up the dregs. 'Better them than us.'

Now all I needed to do was sit back and watch the fireworks unfold.

 **A/N: Hello readers. I've been planning this project for a while and now it's finally hit production. Thank you to Mojo1586 for beta reading and editing this chapter and to CC Commander Cody 2224 for contributing part of this AU. Both of these guys are great authors who have massive fics of their own so go check them out.**

 **I also have an announcement for my other fic, The Evil of Men. After reading over my story I've decided to rewrite it. Some of my execution concerning several characters was clumsy and schizophrenic. Until such a time the rewrite is complete this will be the my primary update story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: This is a RWBY fanfic, the original material is owned by RoosterTeeth. This is an adaptation/combination of two AUs and several original ideas. The two AUs being combined are that of The Black Fist and Red Hand, owned by CC-2224 Commander Cody and Mojo1586. I am using all material with the creator's permission or under Fair Use.**

 **Mantle City: Elizabeth Briar's POV**

It had been a...rough couple of days to say the least.

Ever since the Black Fist had successfully "captured" the city the Fang had gone underground, adopting hit and run tactics against our scattered patrols, supply shipments, generally going out of their way to make a mess of things as best they could. Consequently, the higher ups had seen fit to keep Capaneus, Joel, and I busy with counterinsurgency missions when not on standby, striking out at the vermin wherever they reared their ugly masked heads. "Cleaning house" as Capaneus put it.

'Problem is every time we take one cell out, two more pop out of the woodwork to take their place.'

Now there were even rumors of Human resistance groups causing a stir in the region. Rumors that Command wanted a Trapper force to confirm, and if necessary, put to rest. Malcontents and naysayers at best, a credible threat at worst, the mission itself that wasn't an issue. We'd dealt with the odd group of smugglers or arms dealers that had grown too friendly with the White Fang in the past, both Human and Faunus, that wasn't a problem at least to me.

No, the problem was Capaneus' near constant bitching.

The noble had been complaining nonstop the entire ride to the Red Hand's command post and frankly the small cabin we shared was starting to feel a might bit cramped. "Look, I'm just saying the White Fang's calling in Blood Hounds now. Those Black Fist soldier boys are little more than cannon fodder to those maniacs! Hell, this 'mission' is little more than a waste of my valuable time, time that could be much better spent-"

"Alexander Capaneus, I swear if you don't shut the hell up in the next ten seconds, we'll find out just how much better you're time'll be spent falling...!" I finally snapped back before I managed to catch myself mid snarl, my fellow Trapper leaning forward with a triumphant grin etched on his thin face, happy to see his baiting was finally getting somewhere. Tough luck, I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. "Yeah, you know what? You're probably right. This is all likely just some wild goose chase, but unfortunately I can't change that." I shrugged, returning his smirk with one of my own, absolutely oozing with sickly sweet malice. "Now, if you wanted to take your complaints up with Virgil, be my guest. Maybe I can tell him, I'm sure he'd just love to hear your opinion on the matter."

Funnily enough, at the mention of the blind swordsman the Mistralan suddenly, and conveniently, seemed to run out of grievances, merely sitting back in his seat with a petulant sneer and a few grumbled curses as he tied his shoulder length brown hair back in a loose ponytail.

'Not much of an improvement but at least I got the point across…'

Joel had remained silent through the little exchange, staring out of the helicopter's window at the demolished landscape below with the same sort of detachment I'd been seeing more and more recently, not that I could blame him for it I supposed. The city surrounding the great fortress had been almost completely devastated by the combined assault, many of the buildings nearest the town center reduced to little more than splinters under the weight of Black Fist artillery fire. The destruction was so widespread in fact that combat engineers were still working round the clock to try and clear the ravaged roads and render what few structures still standing into something vaguely resembling hospitable conditions.

A slow going process, especially seeing as many of the locals weren't too keen on moving even with their homes in shambles, and those were just the civilians. Even as I watched, one of the crews working below managed to drag a Faunus sporting a set of Fang body armor kicking and screaming out of the assorted rubble of what could've been a small school, the animal actually managing to fight his way free with a lucky elbow only to be shot in the knee and restrained for later interrogation. Poor bastard, I almost felt sorry for him, almost.

After a few more minutes of scenic ruin our helicopter began its descent towards a deserted landing area set aside for new arrivals, the Fist's evidently not considering us worth the effort of sending a representative to meet us. As clear a message as any, we weren't being welcomed, we were being tolerated.

"So, guessing they just expect us to ring the doorbell then?" Capaneus wondered aloud with a scowl, one that I thankfully didn't have to deal with for long as we each brought our masks to bear, the slab of metal and ceramic clicking into place around my ears as the HUD sprang to life overlaying the visor.

"Comm check." I said, taking in a deep breath of filtered air, running a probing hand across the straps and edges of my armor by practiced routine. "This is Briar."

"Ambrose here." Joel's voice rumbled over the internal speakers, his voice firm if a bit raspy from disuse as he raised his hood over his shock of white hair and slid open the hatch, allowing a sudden rush of cold winter air to whip through the cabin. "From the looks of it, we're walking."

"Capaneus here, this sucks by the way."

"Noted, now get your ass moving." I sighed, practically throwing the Mistralan out onto the snowy ground, signalling the pilot before leaping out after him and taking point as we made our way towards the sprawling mess of activity. "And look sharp, both of you. We might have to work with these pricks but that doesn't make us friends." Neither bothered to answer, instead a pair of green acknowledgement lights flashed at the corner of my vision.

'Let's give the Black Fist a show shall we. Show them exactly what their dealing with."

We made good time all things considered, the guards posted on the outskirts obviously having been informed of our arrival as none moved to try and delay us, merely keeping a watchful eye as we strode into the camp brazen as we pleased into the sea of prefab buildings and tents past gawking troopers and terrified civilians.

The sight of a Trapper armed and armored was an intimidating enough prospect, though I supposed a good portion of the atmosphere had to do with the giants flanking me on either side, Capaneus and Ambrose both easily overshadowing many of those present in size and in Alex's case, sheer bulk and attitude to match. For my part I just kept my eyes straight and my head held high in the perfect picture of calm indifference, at least to their unknowing eyes. In reality I was scanning the those pausing to watch us pass by, searching for threats amongst the nameless grunts.

Within minutes we'd arrived at the towering white marble castle that we'd fought so hard to take, now the site of the Black Fist's central command post, only to have several armed guards move block the door on our approach.

'About damned time we saw some backbone.'

"Greetings and apologies Trappers, Brigadier General Cavel has ordered all non-security personnel to disarm before entering. You will leave your weapons with us." Their commander, a 2nd Lieutenant, ordered with the expectant air of one used to giving out orders and expecting them to be followed. "Standard procedure you understand."

As tempting as it was to have my team bring the Fist down a notch and force the issue, especially after their little slight in regards to our arrival, we were unfortunately outmatched in this particular instance. In addition to the well armed guards there was also a pair of snipers who'd had us in their scopes from the moment we stepped into view, possibly even longer than that judging by their positions along the battlements. I might not even have noticed them if not for the momentary glint I'd spotted reflecting their scopes during a brief moment of sunlight piercing the clouded skies.

Choosing to lead by example I removed the bracers holding my Thorns with a hissing click and handed them to one of the guards, followed shortly by my Atlesian model Tokarev pistol. Joel and Capaneus followed suit without question, if we needed weapons we could take them. Joel especially, hardly needed a weapon to be dangerous, though of course this lot didn't need to know that.

"Watch that shield, it's worth more than you are." Capaneus bristled as his shield was taken from him and placed in the crook of one guards armpit. "I'll be expecting it back." That little bit of tension aside, once we'd finished the guard captain stepped aside and let us in without further inconvenience.

The castle was one of the few Fang command buildings that had been deliberately spared from bombardment. The fortress's commanding presence and visibility made it a beacon to everyone for miles. To many it was either a beacon to rally to, or an open challenge. I reflected upon this as I walked through the white stone corridors and stairways, past the signs of internal strife well represented by scatterings of bullet holes adorning the walls.

Before we reached the briefing room I saw Fortuna Marigold, a first generation Trapper though one likely wouldn't have been able to tell at a glance, her bright crimson jacket laced with brass trim and the wide brimmed hat she wore over a ponytail of beaded and braided dreadlocks completely at odds with the drabs greys and blacks adorning our armor. She was currently chatting with some high-ranking officer over some trivial issue no doubt, her hands moving animatedly while the man seemed almost completely at a loss for words. As we passed she nodded in our direction with a broad white smile and an amber colored wink before excusing herself from the conversation, casually walking the opposite direction, towards the Brigadier General's office.

Soon enough we found our way into the assigned briefing room and felt secure removing our masks, the next few minutes spent waiting on the intelligence analysts to come in and brief us. To my displeasure Natalie Corbell, the little wretch cowering behind a pair of horned rim glasses, walked in carrying a relatively thick folder. Joel actually appeared surprised and was about to speak when she turned on the overhead projector, the lights in the room darkening automatically.

The image shown was a map of western Mantle, with several sections highlighted in red, orange, green, and blue. I could tell that the blue areas were currently held by the Fist and the red by the Fang, but I didn't recognize anything else from my previous briefings.

The former Trapper recruit started her briefing before I was able to get a word in. Her voice unsteady, and her eyes darted back and forth between me and Ambrose in quick succession. "A-As you all are aware, we've been dealing with a series of escalating guerrilla attacks since the Black Fist and Red Hand took the city. Most have been from the White Fang but w-we, well other Trappers and patrols, have encountered a few Human-centric resistances." Corbell cleared her throat and kept going.

"Our interrogators have made some headway in finding the source of these attacks, who's funding them, key personnel. As you'd expect most of the units responsible have come from Fang controlled territory, those with what they feel is a personal grievance. The problem is, however, that some prisoners claim several of the human resistance movements have headquarters in neutral territory." One of the green areas north of the city was covered in a red filter. "We can't move against them lacking proof of guerrilla activity without the Atlesians mobilizing against us which is well...bad. That's where you come in, if Trapper Briar can prove that human resistance fighters are based to the north we can invade without the threat of retaliation from Atlas."

Capaneus of all people asked the first question, raising a hand lazily into the air. "So, why are you sending all three of us again if you don't mind me asking? Seeing as Briar's going to be doing all the legwork on this one. Seems like a such a waste when I could be here helping you, maybe we could even..." My eyes nearly rolled out of my damn skull at the nerve, not even a washout like Corbell was that stupid. While she did blush for a moment his comment was largely ignored...well, mostly ignored. I swore I could hear Ambrose's teeth grinding from where I sat.

"Out of those second generation Trappers currently available Briar is the only one qualified for for this sort of information gathering and reconnaissance. Therefore she needs to be protected, as she's essentially irreplaceable at this time." Corbell replied quickly, avoiding my gaze. To be perfectly honest I wasn't sure to be flattered or insulted. Protecting, me? "A first generation representative will be accompanying you as team leader and additional support."

'Wait, was I really that important?' I mean I knew I had some certain...advantages, when it came to this sort of work, but I was hardly the only Trapper qualified as an infiltrator. We all knew how to blend in, some just knew how to do it better than others, in plain sight.

"Now hold on." I cut off the analyst before she could go into any more detail, a nerve twitching above my eye as the girl flinched back. "You said we already had information that guerrillas in the area. Why do you need me to confirm it?"

At this she looked at the floor. "The information was acquired by…. questionable means. It isn't reliable."

Wonderful, I had to work with information acquired by torture. Marigold taught me a long time ago that torturing someone for information was about as useful as scaling fish with a wood chipper. Nothing worthwhile gets done and now you need to clean up a mess.

"Anything else I should know about?" Irritation bled into my voice.

"You'll need to be discreet. If you're discovered, any enemy forces in the area will just move elsewhere and up security. Violence should be used as an absolute last resort. I'll forward more data about the area to your scrolls. Good luck."

To my surprise Corbell sounded genuine. It was no secret she was scared of me, with good reason, I did break her nose in training and get her tossed from the Trapper program like the useless little leech she was amongst other things, but the analyst didn't seem quite like she wanted me dead. Before we left my scroll did ping, revealing a rather hefty attachment of information. Something to go over as we made our way back the way we'd come towards a car that had pulled up along the gravel walkway.

Unfortunately, though not unexpectedly, we ran into a spot of difficulty as a loud cackling laugh split the air behind us as a pair of red coated arms and gloved hands reached over mine and Joel's shoulders, drawing us into a bone crushing embrace. "Ha Ha! Finally!" Marigold's head leaned forward between our struggling figures, planting a wet kiss on each of our burning cheeks that, to my dawning horror, drew the eye of every Black Fist in the immediate vicinity, someone, somewhere, even had the balls to chuckle. "I can't believe I get to go on a mission with my kids again, just like old times, I mean what's it been, a year?! Ooh look at you both, all grown up, Joel I swear you're just like a weed, and Lizzie I told you you had nothing to worry about in that department, really growing into those curves…!"

'Oh no, oh god no…!' Joel and I looked at each other with mixed feelings of despair and embarrassment.

"I really don't get paid enough for this shit." Alexander muttered as he got in. For once I agreed with him.

 **2 hours later, Mantle Forest: 2km from Mantle City**

"...good Joel, that's very good! Now, remember to keep the flow steady and make sure you…No, no don't spark...!?"

I closed my eyes with a long sigh, covering my ears just in time to spare them from the deafening explosion that rocked the clearing and filled the air with an acrid dark smoke centered around where my teacher and fellow student had been practicing. For a brief moment I actually considered leaving my cross-legged position, at least until a pair of figures stumbled from the cloud coughing, spluttering, and in Ambrose's case falling to his knees opening and closing his mouth in an attempt to ease his ringing skull.

'Wow, that was...a thing.' I raised an eyebrow at my fellow student's hair, the usual stark white practically as dark as my own now. 'Not a bad look actually.' At least it was better than the last attempt with Ice a few days back, the collateral damage from that little fiasco a few days back still being explained away to the Fist. 'I'd love to hear the excuse they come up with for a glacier appearing in the middle of their base, even if it is Atlas.'

"O-Okay, uh we're all okay right!?" Marigold called out a bit too loudly, clapping a hand to the side of her skull while the other beat what remaining fragments of Dust clung to her coat as gently as she could before swiping the rest of the burning cinders off of the broad rim of her hat. "Alrighty, thinking we can safely say you aren't compatible with Burn. Good to know."

Joel let out a weary groan and staggered back to his feet, stripping off the still smoldering top layer of the dark colored fatigues he wore until re was reduced to a tank top in the snowy air, stamping the cloth into the dirt, cerulean arcs of electricity still dancing along exposed muscle in the cool air. "N-No! I...we just need to try again, one more time!" He took a deep breath and allowed the sparks to fade before staring down at his ash covered hands, "I think I'm starting to get it." His eyebrow twitched as I snickered under my breath, his head turning sharply to glare at me before Marigold's voice rose, curbing the argument before it could even start.

"You're not wrong Joel, you do have a decent grasp of the basics now, it's how I can be so sure that you're not the issue, at least...not entirely anyway." The older woman explained, moving to put a hand on the Trapper's shoulder only to flinch back from the residual voltage left by his Semblance, "Infusion isn't just about technique, there is a fair bit of compatibility involved as well. If your natural Aura can't hold a consistent bond with a certain type of Dust, there isn't much you can do to overcome it. That's just the way it is, most would be lucky to bond with even one type."

'Most would be...certainly not a technique for everyone, that's for sure.'

'Infusion,' the process of manipulating your Aura through raw Dust, where the technique earned its name, directly and guiding it as a potent extension of your own body in various forms. This meant literally harnessing Nature's wrath in its purest state without the need for physical weapons or equipment which might dilute or contain the reaction. According to my Teacher even more was possible, far more to be learned, this petty dabbling barely scratching the surface…

Fortuna herself was more than enough proof of that, her coat sleeve riding up just enough to catch a glimpse of the shimmering crimson and cerulean crystalline markings standing out against the dark skin of her wrist like colored glass.

"You don't have to spare his feelings Ma'am, it's about time he found something to prove he's just as fallible as the rest of us." I shrugged, returning my attention to the four separately colored spheres of Dust slowly rotating around my position, extending my Aura outwards.

With a twist of my hand the crimson Burn Dust ceased and scattered into a small roiling mass of cinders and smoke burning calmly before my eyes, a cock of the head and the blue waved its way into a chilling flurry of miniscule snowflakes and snow to match the landscape, a twitch of a finger and the white orb cascaded into a chilling vortex of wind…my Aura as fluid and malleable as water.

"Had to happen at some point, right?"

"You…!"

The frontiersmen made towards me, his fist clenched and eyes flashing dangerously as I shot him an impish smirk and made ready to answer whatever he had in mind blow for blow. Before he'd even gone more than two steps however, a hand interposed itself between us followed shortly by the teacher herself.

The encouraging smile had left Fortuna's lips, replaced with a deep frown and a stern amber colored eye narrowing at both of us in turn. The air here in Mantle was already bitterly frigid enough as it was on a good day, but even that seemed a paradise compared to just a few seconds under that cool gaze, an unseen pressure emanating from her felt down to our very core..

"That's enough, both of you!" The words were sharp even if the tone was calm, the two of us glaring at the other for a few tense seconds more before we eased back at the same time, Joel muttering bitterly under his breath. "Joel, I was just thinking we needed a break. Go cool your head in a snowdrift, then maybe we can it give another shot with something a little less volatile if you're feeling up to it. As for you Lizzie, I'd like a word, now." She clapped her hands together and spared a small forced grin as the former Hunter marched off into the woods without another word, snatching his swaying weapon sling from a low hanging branch as he went.

'Something tells me Mantle might see a dip in Grimm for awhile.' I shrugged bringing my hands to my knees one more, the spheres reforming and resuming their previous loose orbit as Marigold massaged her temple in frustration, murmuring something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "Teenagers..."

"You ever think you might just be wasting your time trying to teach him?" I said as an aside, trying my best to take the lead in the conversation. 'Whether it be talking or fighting, always better to strike first' at least according to the woman who'd taught it to me. Said woman didn't seem too amused by the attempt but of course I carried on, bringing the spheres of roiling powder around in a low spiraling helix, one I made sure she saw. "He's no Dust magus that's for sure, I'm only saying Ma'am…"

"Cut the 'Ma'am' talk, that was uncalled for Lizzie," I flinched, my concentration waning for but a moment, forcing me to move hastily to avoid a repeat of Ambrose's early mishap, Marigold shaking her head in firm disapproval, "You know how I feel 'bout my kids fighting. Honestly, a few months on your own in the field and you two both come back all doom and gloom."

"Hey, you were the one who told the big guy needed something to keep him busy! Me, I'm just trying to do it in a way that doesn't involve us both getting blown to bits!" I argued back defensively, allowing the glowing grains of Dust to settle back into the little ceramic pots in front of me. "I thought you didn't want him learning Infusion regardless, something to do with his Aura…"

"Times change, with the way things are developing out here you can never have to too much stashed away in your arsenal." Marigold plopped down on her haunches in front of me, cocking her head to the side before suddenly raising a hand and flicking me sharply in the forehead with her index finger, sending me scrambling backwards, "And don't put words in my mouth. I only said it wasn't necessary for him to learn Infusion with his training, not like it was with you."

I scowled, rubbing my aching head gingerly as I sat back up, refusing to act like a sulking childas I spared a glance towards the jars. It was almost painful nowadays, remembering how weak I used to be, how helpless. Even after having my Aura unlocked as part of the Red Hand's boot camp, even after making it through the Trapper's recruitment trials and everything that came after, the memory of watching as the Hunter trained recruits all around me did effortlessly what took me weeks of sleepless nights to learn, tirelessly exercising and honing the skills they so easily took for granted. Raw talent and dogged determination the only things that kept me from being left in the dust, but to have to depend on something as fickle as that...just the thought put a sour taste in my mouth.

Infusion was to be my ace in the hole, something I would be able to do, better than perhaps anyone else could. Something I could take pride in...

My teacher opened her mouth to continue pressing but paused, closed it, then sighed shaking her head as she fell back into the same position as I was, coattails splayed out behind her in a crimson puddle against the dull grays and browns. "Look, I'm well aware Joel will likely never master more than the basics and with a reactive Aura like his even that much'll be dangerous."

"Then why…!?" I started, the indignation clear on my face mixed liberally with shock and incredulity.

"Because gods know you both need the distraction, something to focus on apart from all this!" She waved her hands dramatically, gesturing towards the landscape itself, though I did notice her eye lingering in the direction of the Black Fist Camp. "Joel hardly talks anymore, running through the motions more and from what I hear after that mess with the Corbell girl, and you...pardon me for saying that you might be Atlesian but you're certainly no soldier, neither of you are."

"What are you on about? Teacher, we were trained no… we were designed to hunt down and exterminate the White Fang wherever they…!" She was in front of me again all of a sudden faster than I could believe, the only sign she'd moved from her former position at all a slight fluttering in her coat and the rattling of the colorful beads braided in her hair as her finger jabbed out once more, catching me sharply right in the forehead yet again and pounding against my Aura. "Ack...w-why are you…!?"

"Eliminating the White Fang, getting those degenerate scum back for everything that they've stolen and done to us, that was the reason I took this job, the reason I took you both under my care, taught you two how to bite back and fend for yourselves!" She brought her palms down on her knees with a solid clap that seemed to echo through the surrounding treeline, certainly enough to leave my ears ringing, "You were meant to fight the White Fang true, that doesn't mean you're prepared to fight a damned war, at least not the sort of crusade this Black Fist lot wants anyway. That's why I need to do my best to make sure my kids can hold their own again-"

"I don't know about Ambrose but I'm no weakling, Fortuna!" I cut her off, appreciating the concerned but quickly growing more and more annoyed with the coddling,

I was a Trapper, the best the Red Hand had to offer, the bogeyman those murdering animals had learned to fear. I'd sacrificed, fought, bled, and clawed to earn my place, to earn that right. 'I'm never going to let myself be helpless again, I won't!' My ears began to pick up the sound of howling in the distance, baying roars, choking off one by one in quick succession. It seemed the big spark plug had at last found his own stress relief after all, then the howls twisted into screams, my brother's pleading shouts for me to help him, to let him…

'...Breathe, keep your center, just breathe…'

Pain lanced as I bit the inside of my cheek, using the irritation as a focus just as I had been taught until the screams faded into the background. "The enemy is still the White Fang and those who would support them, that's all that matters." I continued on firmly, Marigold's eyebrow rising ever so slightly but not moving to interrupt, "If falling in with the Fist is what keeps the Red Hand on top and the Faunus cowering that's just fine in my book."

"The White Fang cowering." I stiffened at the suddenly very frigid air surrounding me at the woman's words, calm and level, dangerous... "The White Fang and the scum supporting them."

"O-Of course." I stammered, crimson coloring my cheeks before a hand came down gently to rustle through my hair, my eyes glancing up to see the Dust magi's smile back in full force, and surprised to find one of my own returned in kind. Of course it couldn't just last... "Are you leaving soon? Something come up?" It would hardly be the first time the First Generation Trapper had left us in the dark until the last minute, scampering off wherever her considerable contacts, or her own whims, guided her, often leaving her students to fend on for themselves for days at a time.

Fortuna only smirked, apparently proud I'd caught on to her little slip, if a little put out that the moment was lost. "Clever girl." She sighed, playing with the stand of curled hair hanging loose from the not of braids she wore, weaving it between her fingers. "Now. you didn't hear this from me but there's an assignment being passed around, joint operation sanctioned between higher ups within both the Black Fist and Red Hand. Above the usual channels, need to know only, even I'm having trouble getting the facts straight."

That was...concerning, if she were telling the truth that is.

"So combined efforts then, maybe another mass assault?" I ventured, wracking my brain while trying to block out images of devastated buildings, displaced citizens, corpses littering the streets… "Maybe the Fist enjoys the idea of Hand personnel doing their dirty work for them. Already have us stretched thin on 'clean up' as it is."

"Possibly, from what I've gathered it's quite the serious undertaking. Big enough that it requires calling back as many First Gens as they can reach back from the frontlines, those that are left anyway." I had to consciously keep myself from reacting at those words, otherwise my jaw would've dropped at that point. The First Generation, those warriors, many of whom former Hunters themselves, who'd grown tired of the kingdoms dragging their heels while their loved ones suffered at the hands of the White Fang, who'd cast aside their former affiliations to don the name 'Trapper' for the sake of eliminating this rising threat to humanity. "Even Violette himself is spitting coals over it, and anything that can make that man nervous is something worth watching, don't you agree?"

"Hardly." I murmured, groaning inwardly at the hearty chuckle my Mentor let loose, typical...just typical. "So, have they…?"

"Asked? Not yet, though I wouldn't be surprised if they're just trying to work up the nerve. In the meantime however…" She cocked her head towards the direction of the rampaging Grimm with a note of playful concern, "...that doesn't mean I can't make sure my adorable students are looking out for each other, even if no one else is. Speaking of which..." her grin only grew broader as she popped up to her feet, one hand going to her hip while the other straightened her hat, "...I think I have just the thing in mind to get our minds straight, now…" She lowered the hand, the fingertips flickering as fire weaved its way from within her coat sleeves like writhing serpents, a bead of cold sweat dripping down my neck as I took in the sight, imagined the damage this woman could inflict, "let's go collect our boy, shall we?"

Dramatis Personae

Elizabeth Briar- Atlesian born Generation 2 Trapper, Apprentice to Marigold Fortuna and contemporary of Joel Ambrose

Joel Ambrose- 2nd Generation Trapper, Former student of Aegis Academy in Bastion, Nephew of Lucas Violette, Contemporary of Elizabeth Briar

Alexander Capaneus- 2nd Generation Trapper, Former Minstrali Noble

Natalie Corbell- Trapper washout and daughter of the late Bastion Mayor, former romantic interest or Joel Ambrose

Fortuna Marigold- Bounty Hunter famous for destroying the Badland's most ruthless warlords ten years ago, 1st Generation Trapper, and mentor to Elizabeth Briar and Joel Ambrose.

Virgil Jett- Head of the 2nd Generation Trappers and protégé of Lucas Violette

Lucas Violette- Commander of the Red Hand Trappers and Uncle to Joel Ambrose

Brigadier Cavel- Commander of all Black Fist forces in Mantle

Dramatis Personae physical appearances

Elizabeth Briar- 5'9" athleticAlly built human female with light green eyes and raven hair reaching down to the small of her back. (18 years old)

Joel Amberose- Athletically built 6'3" human male with short white hair (17 years old)

Alexander Capaneus- Burly 6'3"olive skinned human male with shoulder length black tied back in a ponytail (20 years old)

Natalie Corbell- 5'4" slender human female with blue black hair and horn rimmed glasses (19 years old)

Fortuna Marigold- Tanned human female with long dreadlocks and missing her right eye. Dust Brands cover her arms and shoulder blades, giving off the appearance of crystal embedded underneath the skin.

Virgil Jett- blind Human male, constant use of armor and masks prevents further analysis

Glossary

Black Fist- Militaristic human supremacist terrorist organization formed five years ago after the White Fang's initial rampage.

Red Hand- Formerly the Humanity's Hand's Front, they became the Red Hand after militarizing against the White Fang five years ago.

Trappers- Aura trained superhuman killing machines created by the Red Hand in order to counter the physical advantages of a Faunus. Normally recruited from former Combat School students with a grudge against the White Fang.

Infusion- The use of pure Dust by manipulating your Aura. It comes in three variants, Internal, External, and Brands. Internal is where Dust in placed in the bloodstream and focused through the Aura of the user. This is a rather imprecise application and users often have trouble controlling the Dust when going full tilt. External Infusion is the opposite, using powdered Dust in the air by manipulating it your Aura. By comparison this technique is far more precise, if not providing the same level of firepower. The last, and most dangerous, kind of Infusion is Branding. This is the ultimate act of Dust manipulation, where the Mage allows Dust to be imbued in their bodies and becomes Nature's Wrath. This is accomplished by surgically implanting Dust into the user's body along Auratic channels. While the potential returns are massive the surgery required is incredibly dangerous, and shouldn't be taken lightly.

Highlands War- The three and a half year struggle between the Black Fist and the White Fang. It was initiated when the Fist militarized against the Fang following their initial rampage. Recently the Red Hand has formed a loose alliance with the Black Fist with the goal of destroying the Fang.

Bloodhounds- Faunus Hunters who use the an unknown drug cocktail in order to boost their abilities.

 **A/N: Here's the next chapter. One again I must thank Mojo for all of the help he gives me while writing this, including the training session and conversation between Liz and Marigold at the end of this chapter. Next up is mission prep so look forward to that.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: This is a RWBY fanfic, the original material is owned by RoosterTeeth. This is an adaptation/combination of two AUs and several original ideas. The two AUs being combined are that of The Black Fist and Red Hand, owned by CC-2224 Commander Cody and Mojo1586. I am using all material with the creator's permission or under Fair Use.**

Elizabeth Briar's POV: Red Hand Barracks: 7:30pm

' _One good thing about having Marigold around is that she can't cook for shit._ ' I thought as Joel worked in the kitchen behind me. My mentor had managed to convince Ambrose to cook for us, allegedly because I needed grease for my disguise. ' _Poor bastard, never knew how to say no._ '

The smells of cooking meat, stir fry rice, and various spices wafted from the common room. ' _Good to know that it gets better than MREs._ ' Marigold had to pull quite a few strings to get Ambrose everything he needed to cook dinner. It all reminded me of when Eddy and I would wait for Dad to come home, I would try to convince him to take us out to eat. Tears started welling in my eyes.

' _Keep your center, Keep your center. He's dead, no use crying about it now._ ' Despite my best efforts a single tear rolled down my cheek. 'Can't afford to show weakness, not around the others.' At that moment I heard Capaneus open the communal refrigerator in the next room. Every muscle in my body coiled, if he saw me in this state I'd lose whatever authority I had over him.

The few seconds I waited felt like an eternity, until I heard his footsteps go back to his bunk. ' _Dammit Liz! Get ahold of yourself!_ ' The mental discipline felt halfhearted at best. In order to get pull my mind away from such thoughts I went about cleaning my weapons. Fortunately I hadn't seen much combat after the Fist captured the city, and the only one that needed major maintenance was my submachine gun. I was in the process of cleaning the barrel when Joel called me into the kitchen.

As spartan as our arrangements were it was enough for Joel to work his magic. The teriyaki sauce was still boiling on the cast iron skillet as he placed the strips of beef on a bed of rice and drizzled some more sauce over the entire assembly. The smell was heavenly, especially when compared to what we had to live off of before we stormed this damn place.

"Ambrose, there are days I wanna shoot you. The only thing that holds me back is your cooking."

For the first time in days I saw Joel smile. "Good to know I'm still valuable. Could you call Marigold? I want to get some of these dishes taken care of before we start."

"Not a problem." It took a minute for me to find my Scroll. My teacher picked up on the fourth ring. "Hey Lizzie, just got out of a meeting with the Commander. You or Joel need anything while I'm out?"

"I'll need garlic, brown colored contacts, and if you could find some worn out winter clothes that would be great."

"Alrighty, Joel need anything?"

I let Ambrose know that Marigold was on the way back, and was going to stop and pick up what I needed. "Nope." I relayed his response.

"Alrighty, I'll be there in fifteen minutes, have Ambrose save something for me."

"Will do. See you soon Teacher." I waited for her to hang up before putting my Scroll away. At that moment Joel came out from the kitchen, with a bit of steak and rice in a Tupperware.

"Any bet's on how late she'll be?"

"An hour, maybe two."

"Sounds about right. I'll put this in the refrigerator. Want me to put on a movie?"

"Go ahead. I've gotta get the rest my disguise together."

"Yell if you need anything."

Ambrose made his way towards the unit offices to rent something while I made my way to the kitchen. 'Thank the gods Ambrose doesn't buy lean meat.' I thought as I saw the grease inside of a coffee cup, enough to keep up my disguise for several days in the field.

The mission called for me to scout several possible locations in a small nearby city. Each of these locations was a possible meeting place or recruitment center for the human resistance cells, if any of them looked promising I would bug the site in question. From there it was simply a matter of waiting until we had enough information to flush out the organization.

I had most of what I needed. Used clothes weren't hard to come by, the problem was making them comfortable in this weather. I couldn't layer up too much without drawing attention, and blatant use of Dust would be even worse.

'Wish I could change my eye color with my Aura, make things a whole lot easier.'

After making sure that I had most of my disguise ready Joel called me down to eat. We ate in silence for a few minutes before Joel broke the tension. "You nervous Liz?"

"Not really, doesn't look like we'll be getting shot at for once."

"I wouldn't count on it. If you're recognized than bullets are gonna fly."

"You saying I'm sloppy?"

Capaneus piped in from the common room. "In Ambrose's defence, you turn heads. Might wanna kiss a brick."

I never thought I'd see the day Joel laughed with Capaneus, and at my expense of all things. ' _World really is going to hell. I need a drink._ ' Fortunately the refrigerator was only a few feet away. ' _Where the hell is my whiskey? I swear to the Gods of Capaneus stole it I'll kill him_.'

My escape from the world had been hidden behind a box of flour in the pantry, three quarters full. When I pulled one of the shot glasses out of a cabinet Joel kept that smug grin on his face and pulled down a second one.

"You could wait until Marigold got back Liz."

"And why would I do that?"

"She might want some." Joel turned away to clean the used dishes before continuing. "And I bet she'll be pissed if you get drunk before work."

"Then I'll get tipsy." I growled.

The next several minutes passed in an frustrating haze. My Trapper physiology burned off the alcohol faster than normal, which didn't help when you were trying to drink. Ten minutes into my binge Marigold came back. As Joel said she got another shot glass from the drawer and sat down next to me.

"Got your stuff Lizzie, just have to put it all together."

"Can it wait until morning?"

"Not if your hair's going to be ready by morning."

"Just get it over with."

Two hours later

I missed my hair dye… but at least I'd get my purple tips back when the mission was over. Looking in the mirror I touched the hair extensions on the right side, making my cut symmetrical.

"You don't look half bad." Capaneus piped in. "I'd say an 8."

 _'Don't kill him Lizzie, not yet. Just take the compliment and kill him later._ '

"That's enough Alex. We've got some work to do." Teacher put a hard edge in her voice, and the former noble suddenly had urgent business elsewhere.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Unfortunately you can't pick your comrades."

"Ain't that the truth."

Over the course of three hours we wore out clothes I had bought earlier, made sure the colored contacts looked natural, and my layers would keep me warm enough. When we finished it was just before midnight.

"You want to do anything else tonight?" Marigold asked, her eye looking over my parka.

"Not unless you count drinking."

Teacher's face lit up. "Just make sure you don't get hungover. We leave tomorrow morning."

"I thought I had a week. What happened?"

"One of the Gen 3 training facilities was attacked. Council wants more Trappers now, and every casualty in training costs time and money."

"Really? Feels like the Council didn't care how many of Gen 2s got hurt. Our instructors wanted 'Only the best to represent humanity.' I put on a haughty, self righteous tone.

"Don't ask me to explain what the Council does. That bunch of men have no idea what they want to do with your lot."

I couldn't help but agree with her. This alliance with the Black Fist was meant to help with the bureaucratic bullshit, from what I could see things had gotten worse. The Fist could've taken the city on their own instead of wasting my time. "At least I don't have to deal with those 'old men,' you have my condolences Teacher."

"Much appreciated. I'll get the Whiskey."

I leaned back on the wall, hoping the mission would go well.

 **A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this one out. Hollidays have a way of taking up your schedule. This chapter was more setup for the next arc than anything else, I'm going for more of an espionage theme to give us all a break from the action.**

 **The next chapter of The Evil of Men should be out within the next two weeks, Until then I'll see you all next time.**


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